The present invention relates to a coin stacking apparatus for conveying coins edge-wise one by one and then forming a stack of the coins.
When a plurality of coins is to be packed or wrapped, the coins must be properly stacked prior to the packing process and other processes.
One prior art coin stacking systems is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 58-17318. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, such a coin stacking system comprises a coin passageway 1, a receiver section 2 for receiving coins delivered horizontally from the coin passageway 1 in a stacked condition, and a pair of endless belts 3 extending along the length of the receiver section 2 and having receiving members 4 on which the delivered coins C are placed and stacked. The receiving members 4 are first positioned at the uppermost part of the receiver section 2. The endless belts 3 are then moved in the direction shown by arrow (a) in FIG. 9 by a distance corresponding to the thickness of one coin while the coins are stacked on the receiving members 4 one by one. After the stacking operation is terminated, the receiving members 4 are retracted laterally and outwardly from the bottom of the receiving section 2 as shown by arrow (b) in FIG. 10. As a result, the stacked coins C will be discharged downwardly. Above the receiver section 2, there are arranged a free roller 5 for forcing each of the coins C delivered horizontally from the coin passageway 1 into a forwardly and downwardly inclined position, a guide member (roller) for picking up the leading edge of the forwardly and downwardly inclined coin C, and a stop member 7 adapted to be impacted by the leading edge of the picked-up coin C for causing that coin to fall into the receiver section 2. As shown by the chain line in FIG. 9, the coin C can fall into the receiver section 2 with its leading edge directed upwardly. Therefore, such an arrangement may prevent jamming due to the impact of the trailing edge of a coin C on the leading edge of another subsequently delivered coin C.
However, the prevention of the impact between coins subsequently delivered from the coin passageway 1 to the receiver section 2 must be attained by such a complicated process that a coin C is first inclined forwardly and downwardly by the free roller 5, secondly picked up at its leading edge and finally impacted by the stop member 7. This tends to reduce the speed of the coin handling process. Simultaneously, the whole system becomes complicated and increased in size.
Since the receiving members 4 are supported on the endless belts 3 of rubber or the like, vibration of receiving members 4 cannot be avoided. Thus, the coins cannot be stacked properly, requiring that the irregularly stacked coins be properly re-positioned.